ABS-CBN’s ”Di Ka Pasisiil’ wins Gold Dolphin at Cannes

MANILA, Philippines – ‘Di Ka Pasisiil, a documentary about the 2017 Marawi siege, won the Gold Dolphin for Best Documentary under the Current Affairs, Human Concerns, and Social Issues Category at the 9th Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards on Thursday, September 27 (early Friday, September 28 in the Philippines). 

Journalists Jeff Canoy and Chiara Zambrano received the award in Cannes, France. 

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Last year, while producing our documentary, a military official told me that they would rather let foreign journalists inside the main battle area in Marawi because “pang-international sila”. I was confused because I’ve always thought of the Filipino journalist as someone who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s best. Tonight, we won the first ever Gold Dolphin for the Philippines in Cannes. The Europeans dominated the competition but for a few awesome minutes — there were two funny kids from Manila on stage, rocking a piña barong and inaul textile, in a sea of black tuxedos, showing ‘em how we do it back home. It felt great to hear our country’s name. And it felt even greater when people came over to ask us about the Philippines and the story of Marawi. The documentary truly is a testament to the skill, passion and creativity of Filipino journalists like our boss and mentor, @gingreyes who supported and challenged this project like no other. Like Francis Toral and @carminaereyes who edited our work so they can strengthen our voice. Like producers @herasanchez, @kelbinkelbin, @cherrythecheery and @dawnaviedothis who sacrificed sleep in editing bays for weeks just to awaken the minds of the public. Like Nonie Sales and Rap Rodriguez who were the eyes behind the lenses and charged our documentary with vision. Like the newsgathering team led by @dindoamparo who made sure that we got the story and that we were alive to tell it. And of course, like @chiarazambrano . While the recognition shows how good I can be, working with her is always a reminder of how much better I can be. This one’s for you, Marawi. The war is over but your story is far from over. We’re not perfect but we’re here: the Filipino journalists across various newsrooms, who will continue to give their very best to make sure that tomorrow will be a bit better than yesterday. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.

A post shared by Jeff Canoy (@jeffcanoy) on Sep 27, 2018 at 3:46pm PDT

According to ABS-CBN News, this is the Philippines’ first ever Gold Dolphin. 

‘Di Ka Pasisiil records the accounts of both the military and civillians during local terror groups’ attempt to take over the city of Marawi. The siege lasted for almost 5 months. 

It’s not the first international award for the documentary. It earlier won the Gold World Medal in the 2017 New York Festivals, under the Continuing News Coverage category. – Rappler.com